Reading Judges

This week we began reading the book of Judges in our Bible reading plan. What is this book about? One of the overriding themes in this book is that of apostasy. “This book is a revelation of the perpetual proneness of the human heart to wander away from God.” [Donald Campbell] Furthermore, Gleason Archer says, […]

Reading Joshua

This week we have been reading the book of Joshua in our Bible reading plan. The key person in the book other than God is Joshua, and it is important to remember that he was one of only two men who survived the 40 years in the wilderness due to his good report that the […]

Be strong and courageous

“A dead fish can float downstream,” observed comedian W. C. Fields, “but it takes a live one to swim against the current.” That is true not only for fish, but for people as well. It takes a life of vitality and courage to go against the prevailing tide of public opinion. But that is the […]

God and Exodus

A few theological thoughts about while doing today’s Bible reading (Exodus 5-8): Pharaoh’s initial response to Moses’ request to release the Israelites was similar to and a precursor to the way many unbeliever’s today reject God — “why should I do that? Who is God and why should I obey Him?” (Ex. 5:2) God actively […]

Expunged

Dear Ann Landers: A few years ago, I committed a crime (a misdemeanor). I was arrested and charged. Since I had never been in trouble before, my lawyer had my record expunged. Will this show up on a police background check? I’m looking for a job and want to be sure my prospective employers won’t […]

God promised Abraham

The book of Genesis is commonly known as the book of beginnings. In part, that is because of the beginning of the world with Creation and the name of the book in the Hebrew Bible, which is taken from the first word, “In the beginning” (which is one word in Hebrew). And another beginning in […]

The sinner’s pathway – redirected

Neither a farmer nor a rancher am I. Yet for at least two weeks during a couple summers of my youth, I became a “temp” farmer, working on my uncle’s dairy farm. It was a time not only for a “city-slicker” to be exposed to some life realities, but also a fun time with my […]

The sinner’s pathway

Oops. Some parents had a great idea for their children’s special Christmas gift one year. They ordered a kit for a tree house from a mail order catalogue. On Christmas Eve, as the mother and father began to assemble the pieces, they discovered to their dismay that while they had received the plans for a […]

“Why did I not die at birth?”

A job interview that didn’t go the way you expected. A dinner that came out the oven smoky and flat instead of light and fluffy. A checkbook that appears to be inflicted with the black plague. A friend that suffers from a chronic illness. A favorite shirt that gets lost by the dry cleaner. An […]

The first two sins

The first sins recorded in Scripture — Adam and Eve’s rebellion (Gen. 3) and Cain’s murder of Abel (Gen. 4) — provide two distinct examples of the way temptation and sin work in an individual’s life. They are a reminder that not every temptation is the same; sin and its origins are multifaceted and insidious. […]